Symbiosis of an artificial neural network and models of biological neurons: Training and testing

In this paper, we show the possibility of creating and identifying the features of an artificial neural network (ANN), which consists of mathematical models of biological neurons. The FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) system is used as a paradigmatic model demonstrating basic neuron activities. First, in order to reveal how biological neurons can be embedded within an ANN, we train the ANN with nonlinear neurons to solve a basic image recognition problem with an MNIST database; next, we describe how FHN systems can be introduced into this trained ANN. After all, we show that an ANN with FHN systems inside can be successfully trained with improved accuracy comparing with first trained ANN and then with inserted FHN systems. This approach opens up great opportunities in terms of the direction of analog neural networks, in which artificial neurons can be replaced by more appropriate biological ones.